News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-03-24
LIFE OUT IN UTAH.
Stories about MOrmons aud Their Wives
and Daughters.

MY driver was a grandson of Brigham
a smart, good looking Mormon, and yet
he denounces polygamy as strongly as
| Gentle. He has seen so much of it
that he could not commend it. "Only
| st week" he SAID, ga rich Mormon,
with three wives, married a mother and
her two daughters, all in the same night
The girls are aged IS AMI 90, res
pectively, and the mother is so, and yet
ali of the women were glad of the
they expect to go to heaven. The
woman could stop this great sin if they
woul be firm AMI repudiate men with
wives, but they are more fanatical than
the NAL and glory in their shame.
| Not all, " he continued after a moments
reflection, "for two weeks ago the jani-
| tor of the Tabernacle, an old man, COM
PEELED his 16-year old daughter to unite
her fate with Mormon 70 years of age,
and he had three wives before he took
the last one. Her entreaties were of no
| avail Married she was because her
religion taught her that she must obey
the creeds of the church and her parents
commands. She is sad, broken
hearted little woman to-day, but she
| has only one consolation, and that is the
certainty of heaven. Well, it appears
me that l should rather have little
heaven on earth and trust to luck for
hades in the next world" The Govern
ment could stop these marriages if the
women would appeal to the United
States Courts for protection, but they
will not do so for fear of being expelled
from the church and boycotted by all
Saints in the Territory. OF course the
Gent1les do not know when marriage
takes place, as it is conducted in Sc
cret manner in the Endowment House,
and notice is not made of it in the pa
pers for good and sufficient reasons.
There are 5000 Gentiles AMI 80, 900
Mormons in Salt Lake City, yet there
is no display Of bad blood between them.
But rich German with whom | talked
said: 81 have lived in Salt Lake City
for IA years. l have prospered here.
I like the place and have had dealings
with the N ormons involving large sums.
l have never been cheated out of a dime.
l have never quarreled with the saints
or had hard word with them, and yet
had rather trust my most bitter enemy,
if had one, than a Mormon, for in case
of trouble they would cut my throat
with smiling face and think that no
crime was being committed. Friend
ship is lost for the welfare Of the church
in all cases.
The idea of admitting Utah as a
State is not regarded S wise PROPOSE
ton by the Gentiles. For heavens
sake do not make a State out of this
Territory is the cry of all with whom
[ talked The Mormons would out
vote us at every point. The Government
could not prevent man with but one
wife from voting, and can t ostracise q
man for his religious belief. Yet these
Mormons with bnt one wife would vote
we should be at their mercy. Crush the
head of the serpent and the tail will die
in the course of time, but not as soon as
your Eastern people think or desire.
Give US emigration, good and true men.
Let them settle on our rich land and
raise crops and children. make money,
and then the end will come, but not by
force and bloodshed. The seed of the
martyr is the blood O. the church, you
know, and, confound it, these people
are as sincere in their religious belief as
the most most devout of Catholics or
Protestants. If you Go not think so
look at the enormous taxes they pay the
church, one-tenth of all they raise or
make. How long would you endure
such burdens. chnrch or no church?
Not month without howl of indigna-
ton. And what do they get for such
a sacrifice? Only the blessings Ct the
Bishops or the Apostles and being call
ed brother. Had these people been diff
ferent from what they are they would
have been immortalized in song and
prose for the great ings they have
done to make this Territory what it is.
and this valley the most fertile and pro
ductive in the world, paradise in
summer and not bad to look at in win
ter. Let US give the Mormons some
credit in spite Of the sins, for I have
reasons for knowing that having more
than one wife is not unknown in the
East as we'll as the West. But let us
alone for the present, and don't try tc
do to much in a short time. We want
no bloodshed, and desire to live lit
tie longer if possible"